SPRINGFIELD— A new law has been signed that will allow children with a severe or intellectual disability to have a “comfort canine” in the court room to help relieve the stress of testifying in sexual assault cases.

“Having dogs in the court room is one way we can help victims cope with the stress of confronting their attacker and providing testimony,” Bertino-Tarrant said.

Authorized dogs would be required to go through training and be evaluated as registered members of Assistance Dogs International.

“Our Will County State’s Attorney, Jim Glasgow, has already initiated similar therapeutic use of dogs outside the courtroom,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “It has been very successful. This law broadens its effectiveness.”

When deciding whether or not to allow a child or person to testify with the assistance of a dog, the court must consider the age of the child or person, the rights of the parties to litigation and any other relevant factor that would facilitate testimony.

SPRINGFIELD— Last year, 18-year-old Logan Stiner of Ohio died from a caffeine powder overdose.

According to local reports, Stiner was found by his brother, collapsed on the floor of his home. The same day his brother found him, his mother discovered several bags of caffeine powder in their house. Sadly, Stiner, a popular student-athlete, was one week away from graduating from high school.

The County Coroner’s report said that Stiner suffered cardiac arrhythmia and a seizure as a result of ingesting toxic amounts of caffeine. One teaspoon of the powder is equal to drinking approximately 25 cups of coffee.

Powdered caffeine is nearly 100 percent pure caffeine and difficult to measure with common kitchen tools.

In order to prevent a tragedy like Stiner’s from occurring in Illinois, Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Plainfield) sponsored legislation this year that would make it illegal for toxic caffeine powder to be sold to anyone under age 18.

Yesterday, Bertino-Tarrant’s proposal, Senate Bill 9, was signed into law.

“My legislation is more about consumer and public education than it is about regulation,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “We need to be proactive in Illinois to prevent minors from being able to use a substance that, by simple mistake, could be deadly.”

“This new law makes conducting background checks for student teachers more efficient and ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect our students,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “It addresses concerns from colleges, schools and parents.”

The new law requires student teachers to go through the same background checks as regular teachers and other school employees.

Student teachers will have to submit to a fingerprint-based criminal history check and go through a Statewide Sex Offender Database check along with a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Databases. Additionally, the State Police and FBI will now be required to furnish any conviction records of prospective student teachers.

The changes implemented in Senate Bill 706 will become effective for the 2015-2016 school year.